Dissecting Pelias: The use of gas chromatography in the identification of traditional binding media

Abstract

Existing gas chromatographic techniques were applied to the analysis of binding media present in a case studya large 16th-century Italian painting on canvas. This period in art history is known for its mixed use of media, a transitional phase between tempera and oil paint. The painting had also undergone various restoration treatments in the past, resulting in the presence of an interesting variety of binders, including oils, resins, proteins and waxes. Samples were taken from the various strata of the painting, and identification was achieved by comparison against standards. Experiments were carried out using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and a recently developed methylation process using Meth-Prep®reagent. The main challenge of the project was the practical application of analytical theory to an actual painting. Ultimately, this project gave positive identification of the binding media present, evaluated existing GC techniques, and established clear, reproducible experiment protocols.